After much delay multiple deadlines missed, Ghaziabad has finally started the operation of electric buses in the city. A total 5 buses will be operated in the initial phase and Union Minister of State and Ghaziabad MP VK Singh flagged off these 5 buses from Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay Auditorium. The decision to start electric buses has been taken to reduce air pollution in the state.

Not only Ghaziabad, electric buses will soon run in multiple other cities in Uttar Pradesh, including Vrindavan, where the government has procured two buses and will soon start the ebus services. Apart from that, cities like Lucknow, Kanpur, Agra, Mathura, Prayagraj, Meerut, Bareilly, Saharanpur, Moradabad, Shahjahanpur, Aligarh, Ghaziabad and Jhansi will also get electric buses to replace diesel buses.

As for Ghaziabad, a total of 20 buses were initially planned, but only 5 buses will run on one route to begin with. The fare on the electric buses will start at Rs 10 only and a maximum of Rs 40 will be charged on the longer routes.

The low-floor fully AC buses can travel upto a speed of 60 kilometres per hour and has a driving range of about 140 km. The service of this electric bus will be from 6 am to 10 pm. The initial phase earmarked for electric buses is Anand Vihar to ALT Via Mohannagar.

Going forward, more electric buses will start operations on routes like Anand Vihar to Muradnagar via Mohannagar, Dilshad Garden to Govindpuram Via Mohannagar and Tila Mor to New Bus Stand via Bhopura.

Recently, the Delhi Government also got their first prototype of electric bus made by India’s JBM Auto wearing all-blue livery for the DTC. CM Arvind Kejriwal will soon flag off the electric bus services in Delhi as well. As part of the pilot project, electric buses have been running in the capital for some time now.